So, the team and unit that my son is on at Utah State Hospital (USH) has suspended all future visits until further notice. Mitchel's been extremely delusional with psychosis. There have been some forms of aggression on his part, with the exception of his front teeth being knocked out as a form of "restraint". I'm at my wit's end. I've emailed his doctor a half dozen times, left messages, and to this moment, I've yet to hear anything from her or anyone on the team.

Last night I received a telephone call from Mitchel and he was clearly delusional. He told me that Charles and Madeline (his dog and cat) are in danger and he's feeling violent feelings towards them. He insisted that Charles was King Charles of Buckingham palace and that he'd been reincarnated. Then he proceeded to tell me that "Princess Madeline" was also a descendent from England. He went on about this for several minutes until finally he blurted out "I don't feel the violent feelings anymore. I think talking to you has helped me realize that they are innocent animals and not reincarnations."

Whew.

Mitchel talks about being on a sitcom, specifically Seinfeld. He believes he will someday be a television star and movie star. These are delusions I think the doctor should be aware of but it's difficult when she won't return my phone calls. I've also emailed her on numerous occasions to no avail.

I want my son to be treated with the best possible care and it doesn't seem to be happening. His mental health care providers are shoving these incidents underneath the rug and chalking them up to "behavioral issues." This really makes my blood boil. I know differently and know the mental illness is what's causing the irrational thoughts and outbursts.

If I had the money, I would place Mitchel in a non-state facility where the care is so much better. There's a place called Austin Riggs Center in Massachusetts that would be a good fit for Mitchel. They specialize in paranoid/delusional schizophrenia. But the cost is outrageous. If I remember correctly, it was about 15 thousand dollars per month. Mitchel should also get veteran's benefits but I'm yet unable to obtain them for him. I'm jumping though hoops and getting the run around galore.

I'm going to give them another few days and then I'm going back to Dallas Earnshaw, the director of USH. I always use this as a last resort but the non-communication is unacceptable.

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Hi! Thanks for stopping by.

My goal, with Blog 1: Your Stories, is to help bring our stories of serious mental illness — and how it impacts individuals, our loved ones and our families — into mainstream discourse.

My goal, with Blog 2: My Diary, is to tell my story and my son's story - my struggle, as a mom of an adult son with serious mental illness, to somehow align both joy and sadness in my life; and Pat's brave efforts to live with bipolar disorder. I didn't know, as I was writing my diary, that I was capturing the last year of his life.

I hope, with these two blogs, we'll see increased understanding and movement toward better mental illness care. Sooner than tomorrow...

Hope you're having a good day.

Dede

DISCLAIMER: I never was or ever will be a psychiatrist or psychologist. The mental illness comments and information I post on this website and on these blogs shouldn't be taken as advice or recommendations. People in need of mental health and mental illness assistance should see their mental health/mental illness providers.

P.S. Our stories can be heartbreaking. Once a week or so I try to include a HAPPY PIC to lighten our load. If you have a HAPPY PIC (original photo or artwork) to share, please send it to me. dede@soonerthantomorrow.com

P.P.S. The opinions expressed by other writers on this blog are their own. I respect them even when/if I don't agree with them. Their stories need to be told. And heard.